Today's guests:

The holidays are over but Federal News Radio isn't quite ready to take down the tree just yet. David Hendel is a partner at Husch Blackwell. He says he was visited by three federal ghosts over the holidays: the Ghosts of Postal Past, Present and Future.

The meaning of retirement changes depending on what level of employment you're at. But whether you're just starting your federal career or nearing the end, a little help can always go a long way. Tammy Flanagan, senior benefits director for the National Institute of Transition Planning, joins In Depth to discuss how federal employees at all career levels can keep learning about their pay and benefits.

The Pentagon is taking a different road in dealing with the latest sequestration deadline. Secretary Leno Panetta is telling components to prepare for furloughs, hiring freezes and other major financial decisions. David Patterson, executive director at the National Defense Business Institute and former principal deputy comptroller at DoD, joins In Depth to discuss how the Pentagon is preparing for sequestration.

This story is part of Federal News Radio's daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.

Every agency spends money to meet its mission. But every agency does it differently. The National Endowment for the Arts is using a concept called "creative placemaking" to determine where and how they deploy resources. Jason Schupbach, NEA's director of design, joins In Depth to discuss the concept.

AFCEA Bethesda's 15th Annual Children's Inn Gala is coming. It benefits the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health as it has every year. Diane Pearson, director of Enterprise Alliance at HP is one of the leaders of the event. She joins In Depth with a preview of this year's event.